The trip gave the associate minister of Union Baptist Church in Stamford a chance to give children a dream, families a meal and a country hope.

On Dec. 10, Christie will travel to Mombasa, the second largest city in Kenya, where he will be the head speaker at a youth conference titled "To Dream Again."

His speech will focus on empowering the children of Kenya to live out their dreams and live life with faith in spite of their socioeconomic status, he said.

"Sometimes dreams do die, but the only person who can really kill your dreams is you," Christie said. "What underlines all that I say is faith, but also to empower people to live out their faith practically. To help them with principles of life ... so they can live powerful lives and not be bound by their physical surroundings."

But the opportunity to inspire young Kenyans to live out their potential wasn't enough for Christie. He wanted to bring the people the day-to-day essentials they need most, and out of that, the Kenya mission trip was born.

On Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Greater Faith Baptist Church will collect clothing, school supplies and monetary donations to purchase food when Christie arrives next month in the city of Nairobi. Before then, donations can be dropped off at Greater Faith or Union Baptist, who is partnering in the initiative.

Christie wants to be an ambassador, arriving in Kenya with the goods, then sharing their gratefulness with those who donated back home.

"I want to capture the joy of giving with folks here ... to say this is what your donation did, this is the smile you put on someone's face, the hope you gave this person," he said.

Since he shared his plan with parishioners of his church, donations have been pouring in, he said.

"Everyone we've talked to has been so excited about this initiative," said Linda Dozier, head organizer of the drive and a faithful member of Greater Faith Baptist.

"Everyone has been so generous already," she said. "Just the fact that we're able to help someone less fortunate than us I think is a really satisfying feeling."

Dozier, an employee at Gartner, an IT consulting firm based in Stamford, said she sent out an e-mail to her co-workers asking for their help and was overwhelmed by the response.

"I'm really amazed that in this economic climate people are still so willing to give," she said.

As donations continue to roll in, Dozier faces the increasing challenge of shipping the goods under a tight budget. She suspects shipping costs will exceed $3,000, and said the church will gladly accept checks -- made out to Greater Faith Baptist or Union Baptist -- to help with the expense.

Whatever gifts can't be delivered by December, Christie pledges will arrive at a later date. He doesn't intend on putting a stop to the giving when he returns home from his trip to Kenya.

"It is my hope that we create something that opens up the possibility of people finding their own generosity," he said. "I'm hoping to build a relationship in my visit. It's my hope to sponsor a village, build wells, plant something there that lives when I'm not there.

"This is a project to humanity, this is a project to God that we are only stewards of," he said. "Anybody that wants to share in that is welcome."

Greater Faith Baptist Church will be collecting clothing and school supplies on November 14, between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m., in the church basement, 27 Baxter Ave. in Stamford. Checks, which will support shipping costs and food donations, can be made out to Greater Faith or Union Baptist.

For more information on the drive, e-mail Linda Dozier at kenyamissiontrip09@gmail.com